In this episode of the In Query, we discuss product management, conquering self-doubt and thoughtfully shaping your career with Amy Zhou. Amy is a Senior Associate in Capital One’s Process Manager Development Program. Amy (who graduated from Queen’s Commerce in 2019) leads the digital channels product roadmap for the Hudson’s Bay Canada Partnership. In human talk, that means she manages the online banking and digital alerts products and she spends her days championing the best possible user experience on her products.

Outside of work, Amy is an adventurer by nature and she’s travelled to & studied in 20+ countries across Europe, Asia and Africa, (though these days she’s staying safely at home wondering whether her passport feels lonely). She loves to continuously grow and help others in their development journeys so you’ll often find her trying new things (most recently, calligraphy) and working with her mentees and buddies. 

---

Make sure to follow us to stay in the loop!

IG @projecttechconferences

LinkedIn @ Project Tech Conferences

--

Amy's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyzhou4/

-- 

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro & Background

University Degree 

3:20 - As you started out pursuing a business degree, what made you change your mind to transition towards a math degree?

4:40 - When did you first become interested in tech? 

5:54 - With tech in mind, did you try to participate in any tech-related clubs or activities in university?

7:56 - What is the impact that your commerce degree had on your career right now?

Career - Product Management 

 - When and how did you decide to pursue product management?

10:20 - As a product manager, how do you decide on which features to prioritize?

13:50 - How long does a new feature usually take, from brainstorming to integration?

15:49 - Agile vs waterfall methodology 

17:15 - As time goes on, users will want change so how do product managers stay on top of the changes?

19:00 - What do you think is the most efficient way to gather the users’ opinions?

21:16 - What are some traits that a good Product Manager should have?

25:00- How important is having technical knowledge for product management?

Day to Day as a Product Manager

25:56 - Did coming from a business background help you?

27:40 - What are some technical skills that you think are the most critical for your role?

29:40 - What are some struggles you faced throughout your career?

32:33 - Imposter Syndrome 

37:20 - Are product managers the CEO of their project?

40:40 - What is the favourite feature/project you have rolled out so far?

47:20 - What is your favourite part of the workday?

52:19 - What are some trends that are happening in the Project Management industry?

57:16 - Did you enjoy any aspects of working from home?

59:55 - Do you have any further advice for students looking to go into product management?

1:06:24 - Outro & Ending Remarks